So far, users are currently five times less likely to be running Windows 8 as they were Windows 7 at the same point before its launch. The new statistics come from research firm Net Applications and indicate a lukewarm reception of the Windows 8 operating system by consumers.

Windows 7 was a follow-up to Windows Vista, which was one of the more maligned versions of Microsoft's operating system in recent years. Windows 7 lured many upgraders not only from Vista, but from the older XP operating system as well. Windows 8 doesn't have the luxury of following an unloved version of Windows like Windows 7.

The statistics offered by Net Applications only count computer users who installed preview versions of Windows 8 and preview versions of Windows 7. The statistics are believed to provide a clear indication of consumer interest in the operating system rather than a desire or need for new computer hardware.

In September, only 0.33% of all computers using Windows relied on Windows 8. That works out to 33 out of every 10,000 Windows machines using Windows 8. By the end of September 2009, with very similar time remaining before the launch of Windows 7, the operating system accounted for 1.64% of all Windows PCs working out to 164 out of every 10,000 units.

Analysts are beginning to believe that Microsoft won't see the uptick in OS sales that it hoped for with Windows 8. Gartner recently advised clients that it predicts the operating system would top out at only 20 to 25% share in the corporate environment.

However one feels about Microsoft, they are an integral part of our culture now, and their decisions affect millions of people. That means they must weigh every major decision carefully and to the benefit of the majority of users. They also have to be a leader, to take us in new directions we hadn't considered, without alienating the ones who resist change. It's not an easy task, and whenever MS is perceived as less than perfect, the haters come out of the woodwork for another round of abuse. Windows 8 has many new features that make it better than it's predecessor, and a couple things that make it different and confusing to new users who are used to XP or 7. MS should perhaps be more open to user criticism, and I think they should at least include a "classic mode" to make it easy to set it up to feel more like Windows 7. The real reason for the slow uptake is probably like the article says, it's not coming after a disastrous failure like Vista, so there's no great rush to upgrade. It's time for them to give everyone exactly what they want; it's not that hard for them to make a slightly different version for desktops, and by doing so they'd gain unprecedented amounts of public approval at a time when it's in short supply. I have been using their products since I bought my first computer, with varying amounts of success and frustration, so I guess I approve of them for the most part or I wouldn't still be using their OS's. There's always room for improvement, though.